Jamaican Fish Tea Soup

A proper Jamaican Fish Tea is light, warming and packed with flavour! Made with fresh red snapper, pumpkin, ground provisions, Scotch bonnet and fresh seasonings, this traditional soup is a Caribbean classic. We brown the fish first to bring out even more flavour before simmering everything together in a delicious broth.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4–6

Ingredients

Fish

  • 1 whole red snapper (approx. 1kg), cleaned and cut into 5 pieces
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Vegetables

  • 200g pumpkin, peeled and diced
  • 200g yellow yam, peeled and diced
  • 1 chocho, peeled and diced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 6 okra, sliced
  • ½ green bell pepper, sliced
  • ½ red bell pepper, sliced

Fresh Seasonings

  • 4 spring onions, chopped
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 6 pimento berries
  • 1 whole Scotch bonnet
  • 1 packet Jamaican fish tea soup mix (optional)
  • 2.5 litres water

Dumplings & Spinners

  • 150g plain flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • Approximately 120ml water, added gradually

Method

  1. Pat the red snapper pieces dry and season with salt, black pepper and all-purpose seasoning, rubbing the seasoning all over the fish.
  2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the snapper pieces and brown for 2–3 minutes on each side until lightly golden, keeping the fish in the pot.
  3. Pour in the water, then add the crushed garlic and pimento berries. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer.
  4. Add the pumpkin, yellow yam, chocho, carrots, chopped spring onions, fresh thyme, Scotch bonnet and bell peppers. Simmer gently for 15 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
  5. Meanwhile, combine the plain flour and salt in a bowl. Gradually add the water and knead into a firm, smooth dough. Divide the dough, shaping some into small round dumplings and rolling the rest between your palms to make long, thin spinners.
  6. Carefully add the dumplings, spinners, okra and Jamaican fish tea soup mix, if using. Gently stir around the fish and simmer for another 15–20 minutes until the dumplings and vegetables are cooked through and the fish is fully cooked.
  7. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning if needed. Remove the Scotch bonnet and serve hot with the fish, vegetables, dumplings and spinners.

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